Super Bono leads Morocco to write history by eliminating Spain
The Moroccan national team achieved a historic victory over Spain, 3-0 on penalties, on Tuesday evening, at the price of the final of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, and decided its passage to the quarter-finals.
Morocco will meet in the quarter-finals, with the winner of tonight's clash between Portugal and Switzerland.
Morocco made history by qualifying for the quarter-finals, becoming the first Arab team to reach this stage in the World Cup, and came at the expense of one of the favourites to win the title.
Morocco's players played a great game, with many players shining, led by great goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who played in the match and saved several dangerous attacks and continued to glow in the penalty shootout.
The match started calmly from both sides, before the referee awarded a direct free kick to Morocco on the edge of the penalty area, which was carried out by Hakimi, who shot over the horizontal crossbar in the 11th minute.
Marco Asensio received a ball deep into Morocco's defence, went off and fired a shot that hit the outside of the net of goalkeeper Yassine Bounou in the 26th minute.
Morocco's Naseer Mazraoui sent a rocket shot from outside the box, which goalkeeper Unai Simon saved twice in the 33rd minute.
Sofiane Boufar sent a cross from the left side, which reached Nayef Akrd, who shot a header that passed next to the left post of the Spanish goal in the 42nd minute.
Spain's Dani Olmo shot on the edge of the box, but it flew wide of Bono's goal in the 78th minute.
Substitute Nico Williams burst down the right and sent a ground cross towards Alvaro Morata inside the box, but defender Nayef Akrd intervened in time and deflected the ball in the 79th minute.
Alvaro Morata received a through ball inside the box, to go off and shoot a shot that passed past the right post of Yassine Bono's goal in the 81st minute.
Morocco defender Nayef Akrd complained of a muscle injury, and could not complete the match, forcing Walid Regraki, coach of the Atlas Lions, to replace him with Jawad Alyamiq in the 84th minute.
The original time ended in a goalless draw, and extra time was resorted to.
Walid Chadira missed Morocco's most dangerous chance to score the goal in the 103rd minute, as he received a through pass from his teammate Onahi to single out goalkeeper Unai Simon, who saved the ball with his foot.
The extra time ended in a goalless draw, and the penalty shootout was turned into.
Abdelhamid Saberi, Hakim Ziyech and Achraf Hakimi scored for Morocco and only Badr Banoun missed, while Spain did not score a single kick and Pablo Sarabia, Carlos Soler and Busquets missed.
